So i scared the hell out of myself yesterday by destroying my motor via Hydro Lock (Sea Foam Hydro to be exact). So i had fisnished installing and wiring up my winch when i figured i should do other maintenance also. Grab a can of Sea Foam and WITH the engine running i started cleaning the intake. Well for what ever reason i turned it off and continued pouring SF down the vacumn tube. Without thinking i turn over the engine and "CLANK". Engine freezes. I feel something warm but sqaure in my pants (ITS A BRICK). . Pull the plugs and turn over engine--spins and shoots SF out all over the place. Replace plugs and start. One lucky SOB i am.

 

omg that would have freaked me out, good thing you stopped and didnt try to continue turning the engine over.

 

Another Austin person on here good to see...

Why did you keep pouring with the engine off? I use a sports bottle, when put up to the PCV tube it draws just enough to mist the engine, pouring it is just too risky.

 

so you didn't destroy the engine? Or you did? I am confused

 

I kept pouring beause honestly--i just want thinking. The happy ending was that it was funny to drive down the road and seeing a large smoke cloud come out of the tail pipe while i drove down the street. So eventually everything cleared out and it is running just fine.

kinda sad though to in a weird way--would of almost gave me a reason to get a new truck--kinda.

AUSTEX--where are you in Austin? Looking for places to go wheeling but havent really found anything. What says you

 

Let's just hope you didn't bend or crack a rod.

 

is that how you fix a hydro locked motor? i dont quite understand the hydro locking? what happens and how? i have used seafoam a dozen times and never done it. i make sure someone is in there holding the gas down about 1.5 rpms or higher

 

Hydrolock happens when a liquid (water, oil, antifreeze) gets in the combustion chamber (cylinders), and then piston comes up on the powerstroke and tries to compress the liquid (liquid does not compress) Something has to give since the liquid will not compress, usually the connecting rod will bend or break. This commonly happens when you go through a big water hole and you suck water in the intake, or if you have a leaking headgasket and let the truck sit overnight, and the cylinders fill with antifreeze and you go to start it up, and BAM! If you know you have water in the cylinders, pull the spark plugs, crank it over, and the water will shoot out.

With seafoam, you only induce a small amount that will atomize in the cylinder. If you pour too much, it will not burn, and stay in liquid form in the combustion chamber, and hydrolock the engine.

 

I know a kid who threw a rod in an explorer doing something very similar with seafoam.

 

Thanks god its a toyota and not a ford--truck probably wouldnt have made it through the expereince LOL. Wait--there arent that many 97 fords on the roads anyways--ok i take back my statement!!

There is no vibration and it is running smoothly so i dont think anything happend. I think i am lucky because the engine didnt spin enough to get any real momentum.

Good news is that the winch is working great-now where to test it?